A medical transport flight carrying a critically injured patient crashed in a wooded area of eastern India on Monday, resulting in the deaths of all seven individuals aboard the aircraft.
The Beechcraft C90, operated by Redbird Airways Pvt. Ltd., went down shortly after departing from Ranchi, the state capital of Jharkhand, according to India’s civil aviation authority.
Among those killed were a severely burned patient being transported to New Delhi for specialized care, along with a physician, paramedic, and two relatives. The aircraft’s pilot and co-pilot also perished in the crash.
“All seven persons on board the air ambulance are dead and their bodies sent for postmortem,” senior local official Keerthishree G. told The Associated Press from the accident site Tuesday.
Investigators believe the aircraft may have encountered severe turbulence due to poor weather conditions, causing the crew to lose control of the plane.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is sending a team to examine the wreckage and determine what led to the fatal crash, India’s aviation regulatory agency announced.
Witnesses in the area reported hearing a powerful blast followed by smoke billowing from the heavily wooded crash site, which prompted emergency responders to race to the location, local news outlets reported.
Medical flights are commonly utilized throughout India to move patients requiring urgent care from smaller communities to major hospitals in large cities.
This tragedy highlights ongoing safety challenges for aviation operations during severe weather, particularly in areas with difficult geographic conditions.
The incident occurred just weeks following another private aircraft accident in western India that claimed five lives, including a high-ranking government official.
